The pieces are starting to come together for the Carolina Panthers. However, not everyone will stick around for what promises to be an exciting ride in 2025.
Training camp is in full swing. Joint practices and preseason games are on the immediate horizon. Head coach Dave Canales and general manager Dan Morgan will be watching developments closely before the time comes for some difficult upcoming decisions.
And for one multi-purpose weapon looking to stick around, things are looking especially bleak.
Raheem Blackshear could fall victim to Carolina Panthers' numbers game
The Panthers aren't in the business of attaching sentiment to their decision-making process under the current regime. They raised competition throughout another busy recruitment period, so anyone not increasing their standards on and off the field won't be part of the team's plans.
This bears special significance in the running back room. The Panthers have a solid group of rushers, despite placing former second-round pick Jonathon Brooks on the physically unable to perform list as he recovers from another torn ACL — his second in consecutive years.
Chuba Hubbard leads the charge. Rico Dowdle represents an immediate upgrade on Miles Sanders. There's also a lot to like about the way rookie fourth-rounder Trevor Etienne has applied himself throughout the offseason, which could lead to rotational reps if confidence increases throughout the preseason.
That leaves Raheem Blackshear facing an uphill battle. Like Etienne, he's a dual-threat weapon who can make his presence felt in the return game. But with Jimmy Horn Jr., David Moore, Hunter Renfrow, and others all trying their hand at returning kicks during Carolina's preparations for the new campaign, it seems like the Panthers are slowly moving on from the former undrafted free agent out of Virginia Tech.
Blackshear won't be giving up without a fight. He's overcome adversity before and come out on the other end smiling. Even so, this represents his most difficult challenge to date.
Sticking around on the practice squad is probably the best Blackshear can hope for, at least from the outside looking in. Hubbard, Dowdle, and Etienne are roster locks. Given the potential for Xavier Legette and Horn to be used in the backfield if needed, that might be all Carolina takes onto the 53-man squad.
The Panthers will get him plenty of looks in the preseason. If he capitalizes on them and doesn't make the team, that could be enough to catch on somewhere else. However, it's a fine line with no margin for error.
This won't go unnoticed by Blackshear. Whether he's got enough to turn the tide is another matter.